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Author
Topic: quick question (Read 6129 times)

hey,First, I would like to thank all of you here at aidsmed for educating people about hiv prevention/treatment, you don't know how much peace of mind you offer to some. My question is : I got tested at the 3 month mark with an ELISA test (I don't know which generation but the results take a few days to come out (test takes about 9 hours i think)) but the test was done in Lebanon so maybe it was older than all the tests offered in the USA. Is the window period still 3 months (for this older generation test in Lebanon) and therefore are my tests still 100% conclusive or is further testing required just to make sure i don't seroconvert late ?Thanks

I also have a question thats unrelated to my risk but i was always wonderig how this works : how does HIV get spread with IV drug users ? doesn't HIV die if its outside the body for a few minutes ? shouldnt there be a significant amount of blood on the needle so that another person gets infected ? thanks and i hope i'm not wasting your time to satisfy my curiosity !!

When someone shared an IV drug needle, often blood is drawn into the hollow bore needle, then almost immediately shared with someone else. The blood is protected from the elements (oxygen, temperature) by the needle. If that blood is injected quickly into another arm (common among IV drug users who are sharing needles) then infection is possible. It is the nature of the hollow bore needle, the drawing in of blood, and the speed in which that needle is shared that makes infection likely.

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"Many people, especially in the gay community, turn to oral sex as a safer alternative in the age of AIDS. And with HIV rates rising, people need to remember that oral sex is safer sex. It's a reasonable alternative."

I read on thebody.com that some elisa tests don't test for all types of HIV ... how is this possible ?

Its easy. Thebody.com is not an accurate nor consistent source for first tiered, quantifiable scientific information. I've danced around saying that for years.

Logged

"Many people, especially in the gay community, turn to oral sex as a safer alternative in the age of AIDS. And with HIV rates rising, people need to remember that oral sex is safer sex. It's a reasonable alternative."

hey,I just called the lab where I had the test and they told me to retest at 6 months.... any thoughts about this ? I've been reading the forums and I understand that yo say that 3 months is conclusive in the US. Maybe the tests in Beirut are out of date Also dod anyone ever had hiv sypmtoms (ars or aids related) 6 months after exposure ? Thanks , .Aslo, I wasn't questionning the data you give in this site i was just pointing out that some sites have self-conflicting info .

It's not the tests that are out of date in Beirut, it's the hiv knowledge of the health care workers. The vast majority of people who have actually been infected will seroconvert and test positive by six WEEKS, with the average time to seroconversion being only 22 DAYS. The three month window period exists to catch the rare person who takes a little longer than six weeks to test positive. Six months is overkill. Any generation of test will pick up hiv infection by three months and three months is conclusive.

Symptoms or even the lack of symptoms mean nothing when it comes to hiv infection. The ONLY way to diagnose hiv is through testing at the appropriate time.

We aren't in the business of diagnosing symptoms on this website. For that, you must see a doctor face-to-face. We can only offer risk assessment and testing information. Which reminds me, would you mind telling us what you believe put you at risk for hiv infection? Thanks

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

alright my risk was sort of a "theoretical risk" i received an unprotected blowjob when i was drunk. I know what your going to say : that no one has evefr got infected that way,, but i just wanted to be 100% sure I dont have anything to pass on. No harm in that right ?

You didn't have a "sort of a theoretical risk", you had NO risk. Getting a blowjob is NOT a risk for hiv infection. If you test, you should be testing for STIs such as gonorrhea, which CAN be transmitted via getting a blowjob.

You need to be using condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, every time, no exceptions until such time as you are in a securely monogamous relationship where you have both tested for ALL STIs together. To agree to have unprotected intercourse is to consent to the possibility of being infected with a sexually transmitted infection. Sex with a condom lasts only a matter of minutes, but hiv is forever.

Have a look through the condom and lube links in my signature line so you can use condoms with confidence.

Anyone who is sexually active should be having a full sexual health care check-up, including but not limited to hiv testing, at least once a year and more often if unprotected intercourse occurs.

If you aren't already having regular, routine check-ups, now is the time to start. As long as you make sure condoms are being used for intercourse, you can fully expect your routine hiv tests to return with negative results. Don't forget to always get checked for all the other sexually transmitted infections as well, because they are MUCH easier to transmit than hiv.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

I know ann thanks !!Here is my last question , and its purely theoretical ... As you said it is impoossible for someone to seroconvert after the 3 month mark . Does that mean that an infected person will not have any symptoms from the 3 month mark to lets say the 1 year mark thanks

They can have symptoms, but they won't be related to ARS. After the body goes through the process of going from negative to positive, that is the end of ARS symptoms if a person would happen to have them.

Forget the symptoms already! There are plenty of hiv positive people who never have one single hiv-related symptoms for YEARS. Symptoms, or even the LACK of symptoms mean nothing when it comes to hiv infection.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

For future reference, do elisa tests of ALL generations (including 1 ) test for All subtypes? Or is up to the lab to decide what to check for? Lets say , would a lab in Europe test for strains only found in asia ? Thanks for the info , ill be sure to pass it on.